Session 2 Debrief: Straight Line and Throttle Control

The second practice session went as planned. The goals for this lesson were to achieve steering control and improve the throttle pressure, which went as planned.

I did a few new things like moving the car back and forth in a straight line, which should’ve been the first-ever lesson. These new things uncovered new aspects of driving that I will be focusing on in the upcoming sessions.

But first, the recap.

Session 2 Recap

When I arrived at the training ground, a bunch of other students were taking turns in mastering the ‘L’ in both directions. Most of the lads were pulling off the turn correctly in the forward direction but struggled at times during the reversal.

I tried my hand but failed miserably in both, less so in the forward one but you get the picture.

There was a reason why the primary goal for this session was to keep the car in a straight line — because I struggle with the steering.

Observing my trials and tribulations, my coach told me to just move the car back and forth in a straight line. Thank God. I moved the car only with the clutch and my right foot remained free throughout.

This enabled me to focus just on the steering wheel and keeping the car on a straight line because the pace was too low to begin with and there weren’t any oncoming traffic.

It helped massively in the drive that followed. I kept the car in a straight line. Yeah, there were minor edits here and there, especially when other cars were honking behind me or I had to correct the steering after making a turn.

Another positive was my throttle pressure. It was maintained at a certain level and I wasn’t over-revving the engine unnecessarily.

However, there was a stalling moment. While making a left, a guy parked his car right after a speed bump, which caught me by surprise. Also, I didn’t know that if a car is in motion, you gotta apply the throttle as you are easing off the clutch.

My dumbass was following the clutch-releasing principle when the car was stationary.

Fortunately, nothing happened as my teacher restarted the vehicle immediately and used his side of pedals and my newfound steering skills to get us out of there.

Besides that one moment, the drive was smooth.

Areas of Improvement

My braking needs to be a bit softer. While moving the car back and forth in a straight line, I did it once. Although it was a solitary occurrence in the entire session, I had to be mindful of it. This is yet another way in which a motorcycle’s control’s responsiveness varies from a car’s.

The second area of focus for the upcoming session is to turn the car perfectly. There are two parts of taking a corner: entry and exit. The steering control during the exit is a bit dodgy at the moment. My teacher had to give some direct steering feedback to correct it.

Can I correct it myself after driving further into the corner? Yes. Is it dangerous? Also, yes.

Finally, gear shifts. It’s not that it’s complicated, but it needs to occur effortlessly. Shifting my attention to the stick can lead to vulnerable driving situations. Maybe it happened today as it wasn’t particularly an area of focus on my end for this session.

Looking Forward: Focus On Car Placement

Today, I imagined the center of the racing line emanating from my left leg while driving the car and ‘passively’ leveraged the wheel to position the car in a straight line.

However, there’s more to car placement than that. 

It’s about occupying the minimum space on the road while making an overtake, taking a corner, and driving in general.

Hence, I need to focus massively on turning the vehicle appropriately. If there’s one thing I need to concentrate on, it’s this. To be frank, the shifting and braking are pretty decent as it is and they will be prioritized in the upcoming sessions, especially the shifting.

Until next time,

Tara

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Next Chapter: Session 3 Debrief: Expectations and Future Strategies

Previous Chapter: Session 1 Debrief: A Good Start

Index (with Prologue): The Path to Driving License